Boy, 12, raises £68,000 raffling bowl for Ukrainian refugees

A 12-year-old boy has raised more than £68,000 for Ukrainian refugees after thousands of people entered a raffle to win one of his handmade bowls.

Gabriel Clark, from Cumbria, launched his Bowl For Ukraine raffle after his woodworking went viral on Instagram.

The winner of the wooden bowl, which is etched with a blue and yellow ring in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, will be announced on Easter Sunday.

Gabriel, who set a goal of £5,000, said he had been amazed by the donations.

"I really hope that everyone's generosity can help children affected by the war in Ukraine, by providing them with food, water, shelter, and safe places to learn and play," he said.

Gabriel went viral online last month when his father, Richard Clark, issued a plea for people to follow his son's Instagram account showing pictures of his handcrafted creations - including wooden chopping boards, bowls and even drumsticks.

He had originally been using his passion for woodwork to earn money through commissions to buy himself a new mountain bike and said he was "blown away" by the response he had received.

Within 48 hours, Gabriel's Instagram account, which is supervised by his parents, went from having six followers to more than 225,000 and he has since been inundated with more than 20,000 commissions for bowls, which he said would take him decades to complete.

Gabriel added: "I feel bad that I can't make all the bowls, but I worked out that even if I quit school, which I don't think my mum and dad would be very pleased about, it would still take me 32 years if I made three a day."

The winner of the raffle will be announced on Easter Sunday, April 17.

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